Skopelos

Skopelos is an exceedingly beautiful island, perhaps one of the most beautiful in Greece. It is luxuriant, dressed in the greenest of pine. In many places the pine forest grow all the way down to the sea. Skopelos has also been talented with crystal clear water and superfine beaches, interesting villages and a capital beautiful enough to amaze you. Hikers should rank Skopelos among the top islands, suited for long walks. The majority of the tourists here are Greek, as you will notice both in the taverns and in the street life. To me Skopelos is one of the islands in Greece that is most worth seeing – accompanied by Amorgos, Karpathos and Sifnos.

Getting there
Charter trips are arranged by Airtours, Apollo and Ving (Sweden). If you choose to travel on your own you just fly to Skiathos from where the boat-connections to Skopelos are very good. The boat-ride takes less than an hour. Connections to Alonissos are good as well.

Getting around
The local bus operates the road from Skopelos town to Glossa. The bus stops at several villages and beaches along the way. Cars, mopeds and bikes for hire are found in Skopelos town. Sightseeing boats to Alonissos and the Marine national park take off every morning from the harbor walk in Skopelos town.

Villages
Skopelos town and Glossa are the prettiest villages. Another interesting place is Klima. The village was destroyed by an earthquake in 1965, but is now partially rebuilt and well worth a visit. Below you can find information about some of the villages. More places (including Klima, Agnotas and Panormos) are found in our E-guide to Skopelos.

Skopelos town (see picture on top of the page)
Skopelos town, with its beautiful white houses with red tile roofs suited in narrow and winding alleys, clearly outshines the other villages on the island. The most interesting part is Kastro and the quarters to the right of it. Many of the fine churches of this town are situated in Kastro, among them Panagia to Pirgo which has become something of a symbol for Skopelos. On the top is one of the coziest taverns in Skopelos: Ouzeria Anatoli. Here one can let oneself go over the tasty Greek cuisine, live music, dancing and a delightfully beautiful view. Along the far stretching and pleasant harbor walk the taverns and ouzeries are scrabbled with bars and cafés and one or two shops.

Glossa
The nicest village next to Skopelos town is Glossa, situated in the north. It is designed like an amphitheater right along the mountain ridge that leads down to Loutraki. In some parts of the village there is no car-traffic and the means for transportation is often a donkey. The houses are beautiful and many of them have colorful wooden balconies just like the ones in Skopelos town. Below Glossa lies Loutraki, the second harbor of Skopelos. This is a cozy place that offers some taverns and a beautiful view. In the timetables this harbor goes by the name of Glossa.

Beaches
There are numerous beaches of high quality. Not as good as on the neighboring island of Skiathos though, but that is not really a fare comparison, few islands can compete with Skiathos when it comes to beaches. The water surrounding Skopelos is almost unbelievably crystal clear. The color shifts from green to blue and makes your body tickle with desire to swim when you approach the water. The most popular beaches are Stafylos and Velani – they are closest to Skopelos town – and Limnonari and Mila. My personal favorites are Limnonari and Hovolo. Some of Skopelos beaches are described below.

Stafilos
The most popular beach on the island rests in a delightful bay by the foot of a mountain dressed in pine trees. Most popular doesn't necessarily equals the best though, it has more to do with the closeness to Skopelos The surroundings are nicer than the actual beach, which is very narrow. There is a small path from Stafilos to the pleasant Velanio beach, the part furthest away is for nudists.

Limnonari
Limnonari is located on an extremely beautiful spot in a bay surrounded by high mountains. Like in many other places the pine grows all the way down to the edge of the water. The sand is mixed with pebbles. Big underwater rocks lay along almost the entire shoreline. The cliffs are very slippery and you must be careful, lovely sand will meet your feet once you pass them.

There are two taverns to choose from, the one beneath the trees is the nicest according to me. No buses pass by Limnonari so you you'll have to get here on your own.

Milia
Milia lie not far from the tourist resort Panormos. Many claim that it is the best beach on Skopelos. And quiet rightly so, it is a superfine beach with white sand mixed with pebbles. It's the longest beach on the island and it stretches in two directions, a little spit of land separates the two beaches. There is one tavern. After Milia you find another nice beach – Kastani.

Sights
To me the two great sights on the island are Skopelos town and the nature itself. But there are other sights as well. There are many interesting monasteries and also burial grounds (Sendoukia) from roman times. Some of the most interesting monasteries are Evangelismou, Metamorphosis, Varvaras and Prodromo. Agios Ioannis sto Kastri is the name of a church on a rock in the sea east of Glossa. It's well worth a visit, though not for people afraid of heights – to reach the top you have to climb some very steep stairs. Near the rock there's a pretty little beach.

Accomodation
The charter hotels are all in Skopelos town. For independent travelers there are other options in Agnates, Panormos, Glossa and Loutraki. Even still most people stay in Skopelos town where there is more to choose from and all facilities are within close reach. People with rooms to let will generally meet up when the boats arrive, and if they don't, there is a room-distribution center located right next to the boats. It is not entirely easy to find a place to stay on your own, the pensions are badly advertised and some of them only seem to be open during the high season.

-
© 1997 - 2006 Janne Eklund / KALIMERA